


Fizzy Drinks and Waffle Towers

by FreakCityPrincess



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, As in Suyi and Yuna, Character Development, Character Study, Developing Friendships, F/M, Fanart every chapter!, Feels, Gen, He is my horrible son whom I love a lot, Humour, Let them have fun, Ordinary childhoods for the noble kids, Rael becomes a part of Seira's friend group, Rael vs. Human Slang, Rael vs. Technology, Rated T because Rael swears a lot, Seira's savage moments, Sibling Love, Tao the Monopoly King, The Kertia bros getting quality bonding time, This is more friendship than romance really, and a little dose of teenage drama, and he deserves good things dammit, and worry about mundane things too, but rajak will kick his ass if he does something to deserve it, feat. Karias dragging Rajak everywhere to experience human things, who are super cool and always scheming, with added wholesomeness and Rael's bad personality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26322739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakCityPrincess/pseuds/FreakCityPrincess
Summary: Through a series of events moving too fast for him to fight them, Rael Kertia acquires unexpected friendships, has his perceptions of the world shattered and rebuilt, and learns what it means to have people to fight for. To have people who'd fight for him, even if their efforts would be futile.It is not a bad feeling.
Relationships: M-21 & Takeo & Tao (Noblesse), Rael Kertia & Im Suyi & Seo Yuna (Noblesse), Rael Kertia & Rajak Kertia, Rael Kertia/Seira J. Loyard, Rajak Kertia & Karias Blerster
Comments: 27
Kudos: 35





	1. Cover Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is Rael-centric and ~sort of~ canon divergence, taking place between the incident of Aris defeating Seira and Rael, and the invasion of Lukedonia. As the tags say, I wrote this because Rael is my terrible, horrible son who deserves good things to help him grow as a person. And to worry about mundane things like dumb teenage drama and keeping up with the human kids at video games out of sheer spite. And spending more time with Rajak. Because he *deserves* these things. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	2. Ginger Beer Really Sucks

* * *

_The human world…_

Rael Kertia squinted at the bright afternoon sun. From his position on the roof, the sun felt even closer, the heat more intense now that the breeze from this morning was there no longer. 

_Hmph. It is no wonder they are all so filthy in appearance. They have found ways to give themselves immense power, yet cannot keep from sweating like livestock in this weather._

The harsh light of day did little but irritate him－ he was most skilled at fighting and moving in shadows, and it was where he felt most in his element－ but it was displeasing all the same that he would not have that advantage should an enemy appear now. And they were expecting enemies to appear, even at this place for human children－ after all, why put him to work here? Those modified humans would be of no use against a Union Elder. 

Children dithered about below, talking and fooling around near the gates after the school bell rang. He had been asked not to leave his position until the last human child had left. It was honestly insulting that his time should be wasted this way, but he had no choice in the matter. The human, Frankenstein, was powerful, and probably also insane. Rael knew now after a hard-learnt lesson that he could not face that human in a fight yet. 

He watched with indifference and a little bit of disgust as the crowds gradually dwindled. Were human lives not short? Why did they all waste it like that, with idleness and pointless socializing? 

_What is that?_

Rael's attention was snagged by an unusual gathering headed towards the gate. There were no students left save for a handful, and he realized belatedly that the last group left were the human children who visited the Noblesse's residence. Regis and Seira were not with them today; they'd stayed at home to train. It made his blood boil that _Regis_ was allowed to train with Seira, yet she had never offered to spar with him－ 

The obnoxious human child, the one Seira apparently liked to take care of, bid goodbye to the two girls of their group and headed in the other direction with his short friend. Rael frowned. Did that group not always travel together? 

His eyes flitted toward the crowd of unfamiliar humans who were now approaching the gates at a faster rate. They did not wear the uniform of the school. Perhaps the female humans were waiting to meet them. 

When the obnoxious human and the short child had disappeared entirely from view, the strange group rounded the corner and boldly made in the direction of the females. But the two children reacted with surprise. 

Rael crouched for a closer look. 

The group consisted of six people, all males, certainly older than the students. One of them started talking. The students stepped away from them. They advanced. Rael couldn't make out their expressions from this distance, but they did not appear to know the person who was talking to them, and seemed afraid of him. 

_Are they planning on starting a fight? With odds like that? So humans still do not have any honour._

Apparently, an argument was breaking out. Two other members of the group stepped forward and surrounded the students. The female human with blue hair appeared to be making an attempt at negotiation. It was obviously failing. 

It was only when one of them grabbed the student by the arm that Rael decided he'd seen enough. 

He was in front of them in a second, slapping away the man's hand with unchecked force. Tao had said to conceal his powers in the presence of the students, but he couldn't care less what they thought. 

"What－what the hell?" the man exclaimed, cradling his awkwardly bent arm to his chest. "Who the hell are you? Where did you come from?" 

"Shut up," said Rael, sweeping his feet from underneath him. He landed on the pavement with such force that the stone cracked. "You don't deserve to speak to me." 

"Hey, who does he think he is?!" another one of them exclaimed. "Let's teach this punk a lesson!" 

Rael kicked the first human who charged at him in the chest, sending him crashing into the next one, and pulled at and twisted the arm of the other assailant. He caught another's punch and twisted his arm as well. They were both screaming shrilly, like children, stumbling away from him with fear in their eyes. 

_Pathetic creatures._

Rael met the eyes of the last one standing, who appeared totally petrified. 

"Fuck off." 

The man fled with honestly impressive speed, scared shitless. The others were quick to follow, dragging their unconscious companions with them and cursing in disbelief the entire way back. 

_What a joke. I thought I was stationed here in case a Union Elder appeared._

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he turned around to head back- and belatedly remembered that the students were still present. 

They were looking at him with wide eyes. Disbelief? Probably, what did they know. 

"Aren't you...Rael?" the brown-haired one spoke up, her voice shaking. 

Rael froze in his tracks for a brief moment. How did they...ah, of course. _Regis_ had told them. He was going to have a word with that brat later on about prattling to humans about him. 

"Go home." 

"Wait!" 

He stopped again, halfway through the gate. What did they want _now?_

The humans smiled at him sheepishly when he looked over his shoulder at them. 

"Thank you for saving us back there," the one with the blue hair said. 

"Yeah, you were really strong!" the other one exclaimed. "I didn't think there was another Shinwoo around…" 

Rael stiffened, feeling his blood start to boil all too familiarly. "Do not dare compare me to that obnoxious halfwit." 

The brunette's expression wilted, but the other female just laughed apologetically. 

"Sorry, sorry...but you really did help us a lot back there! How can we thank you?" 

Rael scoffed. "It is my job. Why should you thank me for something like that." This time, he really did plan on walking away, resolving not to stop again if they called for him. He had wasted enough time as it was. 

  
  


"Can you believe the price of that thing?! It's just got a 5G chip－that's absolutely nothing special in this day and age－and garbage screen-sensitivity! There were reviews saying you couldn't use it at all without the stylus! Why should I spend so much money on something like that?" 

"Nobody asked you to buy it, Tao…" 

"Yeah, and you're only buying it to dismantle it and look at the parts...why does the screen-sensitivity matter…" 

" _Takeo._ It's not that it matters practically. It's a matter of _principle._ This is daylight robbery!" 

"Again. Nobody asked you to buy it…" 

Rael drowned out the irritating conversation of the modified humans he was on guard-duty with. His 'job' had become even more intolerable after the previous day's incident; it was _insulting_ to make him spend the entire day in this school only to take on weakling humans that even these three could dispatch with their eyes closed. It was beneath his dignity as a Kertia－no, it was beneath his dignity as a _noble._ If only Frankenstein wasn't so insane and powerful…

"Oh, look! It's Yuna and Suyi! Hello!" 

Rael glanced their way to spot the two students from yesterday approaching the guards. They waved energetically, getting an equally frantic wave back from Tao, a bright smile from Takeo, and a simple nod from the werewolf-hybrid. Whatever he was. Rael didn't care to find out. 

"It's way too hot today, so we all got drinks during the break," the blue-haired female held up two metal cylinders and the other one also held two. "We got some for you guys too! Since they'd probably be all finished by the time you're free…" 

Tao's face lit up. "Wow, thank you! We really appreciate it!" 

The other modified humans also expressed their thanks and accepted the metal cylinders－ some kind of drink, if Rael had heard correctly－until finally, the brunette approached him with the last one left. 

"Hi, Rael." 

His eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "Don't call my name so casually." 

"Haha, sorry." She didn't sound apologetic at all. Did she think he was joking? "Here." 

He stared at the offering held out so casually in front of him. A metal cylinder with a green label. He hadn't encountered anything like it in the human world－no, that wasn't true. At the Noblesse's residence, there had been similar cylinders in the kitchen. He had seen Seira use their contents in her cooking. 

_Seira is truly amazing, to be able to grasp new concepts with such ease. Human food is nothing like ours. Yet, she has mastered it already._

"Why are you giving me that?" 

The human blinked, looking surprised. Then she settled into an easy smile. "Like Suyi said, it's hot today, and the machine will be all out of drinks by the time you guys get there." 

Rael raised an eyebrow. What in the Lord's name was she talking about? What did a drink have to do with the weather or a machine? 

"Uhm...you don't like fizzy drinks?" 

Rael _tsk_ ed, annoyed. They never gave up, did they? Was it not blatantly obvious he wanted nothing to do with their offering? 

" _Rael_ ," Tao whisper-shouted from behind the human. "Just take it already."

Rael snapped up to look at him, incensed. "You _dare_ order me－" 

"Well, look at the time," Takeo suddenly said loudly, much louder than usual. "We should get going to the Chairman's office by now." 

Rael growled, his anger rising a notch further. From the three of them, he'd thought Takeo was the least infuriating, yet he was butting into matters that did not concern him? It was obviously a ruse to spare his comrade the consequences of his careless words. 

"Oh, is that so?" the blue-haired female asked. "We'll leave you to it, then! Come on, Yuna." 

The one known as Yuna seemed to finally understand that Rael had no intention of accepting her offer, and for a moment he almost forgave Takeo－ 

"W-What are you _doing?_ "

"Just try it out, trust me!" The human beamed up at him, the drink now forcibly wrapped in his hands, before she took off after the other girl. 

"Byeee!" Tao hollered cheerily, waving at them as they ran. "We'll see you all later!" 

Rael twitched. Did that modified idiot _never_ shut up? Wasn't his modification supposed to be having more brains than most humans? 

"Tao," Takeo hissed, herding his companion further away from Rael's quietly building fury. "Let's go. Boss's office. Now." 

"Oh yeah, about that. When did Boss say he wanted to see us?" 

"Move it," M-21 said dangerously, shoving them both along. "Before your big mouth gets us in more trouble." 

"Huh? Why? Did I say something wrong…?" 

Rael glared at their backs until they disappeared from his view, gritting his teeth in disgust. Why did he have to work with _them?_ It was bad enough that they were toys of the Union. Now he was expected to _get along with_ them? Why was he putting up with this? He ought to just stick to his original plan and kill everyone who'd humiliated him in Lukedonia. 

An image came to mind of a human with purple and black energy cackling around him as he laughed like a maniac. 

_Right. That is why._

What a disgrace.

Rael looked down at the cylinder in his hand, cold to the touch and slightly crushed by his ire. He truly did not understand the point of all this. 

The cylinder exploded. 

Rael startled, completely thrown off by the loud pop and the jet of cold liquid spraying from the top of the can. He immediately held it away from his body, watching in alarm as the liquid behaved most unusually; sizzling and hissing, like acid, and frothing at the place it came from, spilling all over onto his hand. 

" _What the hell?_ " he exclaimed, attempting to shake it off. That only made the liquid hiss and sizzle more violently. Without any other means to contain the mess, Rael tossed the can as far away as possible, watching it cave in on itself and spurt liquid and gas until it shrunk to a speck on the horizon. 

_What_ was that? 

He looked in disbelief at the sticky mess clinging to his hand. Was it poison? Had the children been mind-controlled by the Union and sent to poison them? But, _no_ , this was too obvious a trap; nobody in their right mind would drink a liquid that behaved like that. And the modified humans had drunk from theirs, without suffering any consequences. 

He stared harder still at the mess, not vanishing it away with his powers just yet. Should he dare…? 

Rael brought his wrist up to his face and sniffed it. It did not smell unpleasant. A little bit of poison wasn't going to have an effect on him. Too curious to test his theory, he tentatively licked his wrist. 

His eyes went wide with shock.

_What is this…!_

The liquid was sweet and fruity. He had never tasted anything quite like it. Its scent was somehow stronger on his tongue, and sizzled at the tip before dissolving in an explosion of flavour. 

It couldn't possibly be poison. Poison shouldn't taste this good. Then, was that violent reaction simply because he'd applied too much force on the container? 

_I should wait and observe the modified humans. If they do not show any effects of poisoning, I can be sure that this is safe to drink._

The human world really was troublesome. 

  
  


Rael Kertia did not know or care to know much about YeRan High. To him, it was simply an assignment beneath his dignity. But he had come to know one or two things over the past few days. 

A contraption known as a _vending machine_ was the sole supplier of canned beverages in the school premises. You had to slip in a certain sum of human money and dial the number labeled next to the item you wanted. The machine would then activate, and deliver that item to you in exchange for your money. 

There were six different varieties of canned beverages in the machine. _Apple soda_ tasted pleasant, _orange soda_ was delectable, and _ginger beer_ tasted like shit. It was unwise to shake or jostle a can too much before you opened it; that would result in an explosive reaction like on the first day he had encountered one of the drinks.

Up until recently, he'd seen no use of the human currency he was being given for his duties here but he knew now that it wasn't completely useless. He had more than enough to buy himself a drink everyday. 

On hotter days, just as the human children had said, the machine emptied early, but on cloudy days and when it rained, he could safely pick up his drink after school ended. 

Today was one such day; what's more was that after trialing all six flavours, he could tell for certain which the best one was, and buy one for Rajak as well. Had he been hasty to share his discovery, he might've ended up subjecting his brother to that disgusting ginger beer stuff. _Imagine!_ The humans ought to have warning labels on things like that. 

He cut a path across the school grounds, the grass damp and smelling earthy from the rain. This was one thing consistent across both worlds; even in Lukedonia, when it rained, the air became heavy with this odor, and Rael couldn't say he didn't like it. He liked the rain too, and the darkness it brought; those were good days to fight or train, Rajak sparing time for him if he had it. 

He was dragged back to the present when a flash of white crossed his field of vision. Even in the relative dark, when the rain clouds had yet to clear, Seira still stood out in the distance with dignified grace as she walked alongside her human acquaintances. 

He headed over without a thought, calling out her name in greeting. The three girls halted in their tracks. 

Seira briefly met his gaze, and nodded once. The other two waved enthusiastically. 

"Look, it's Rael!" 

"Hello!" 

Seira said nothing as he approached them. 

"You're still on duty?" 

Rael narrowed his eyes at the humans. Did they never get tired? It seemed Tao was not an exception, as these two also seemed inexhaustible. 

"I am leaving," he replied curtly. Then, as a thought occurred to him: "Why are you still here?" 

"We volunteered to stay back and help with something," the brunette replied cheerfully. "The boys went home, though, they weren't feeling up to it. That's so typical of them." 

"Except Regis," the blue-haired one chuckled. "You know how he never leaves Seira's side; the guys practically dragged him away to play games with them." 

Rael rolled his eyes. _Of course_ Regis never left Seira alone. He was a real pain in the ass. 

"You should call me next time Regis gives you any trouble," he told Seira. 

She didn't bother gracing him with a reply. In fact, she was already walking away, not having listened to him in the first place. 

He couldn't help but stare after her as she completely ignored him, even leaving the other two behind, as if she had much more important places to be. 

"Um. Actually, we can't hang around," the blue-haired female said awkwardly. 

"Right!" the brunette agreed. "Looks like we have to get there in a hurry!" 

"Y-Yeah, especially Seira, she has so much of work to do!" 

Rael didn't even register the excuses they were making. Seira hadn't said a word to him despite meeting like this, in ordinary circumstances, without a battle looming over them. He had thought...they weren't on such bad terms anymore. Hadn't they fought the Union together? 

_Does she really hate me that much?_

It had to be that. To avoid him so pointedly, and just walk away from his attempt at making conversation…

He felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest. Seira's friends were saying something to her animatedly, and she only nodded or shook her head. But she still _heard_ them, and acknowledged them, when he wasn't even afforded that privilege. 

_It has been a long time._

Almost a century now. And absolutely nothing had changed. 

  
  


The house was quiet when he returned. He bowed respectfully to Sir Raizel before heading for Rajak's room, hoping his brother had come back. 

The sparse, utilitarian room was empty. Unlike his, the bed had been made so tidily that it looked like no one had ever been there. The training rooms, then? 

Rael stopped himself at the lift doors. If Rajak was training, he had no right to interrupt. He should just wait it out. The drinks weren't cold anymore, anyway. 

_I should also train, when he is done._

He...really didn't feel like it, though. He couldn't think of much else but how easily Seira had ignored him today. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts to fight responsibly, and Rajak would surely notice, and he would worry. 

Rael almost laughed to himself. Causing a clan leader worry over something so trivial as this? What right did he have?

_Don't forget your place._

Yes. His blood relationship to Rajak didn't mean he could waste his time like that. Whatever his personal issues, he needed to deal with them himself instead of being an entitled brat. 

Rael placed the drinks in the fridge and returned to his own room, where the sheets were still crumpled from this morning.

_I will handle this without troubling him._

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Rael acts impulsively and gets himself invited to an outing with Seira's friends. Rajak reveals something surprising.


	3. That'll Give You a Sugar High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rael acts impulsively and gets himself invited to an outing with Seira's friends.

* * *

"Ahn Dae-Chil has _no chill,_ " Tao complained as he walked ahead of the group, stretching his arms and yawning as they entered the lobby. It was four in the morning and the sun hadn't come up yet, but the special security of YeRan High were being summoned for an "evaluation". Rael suspected it had something to do with him. He did, after all, look too young by human standards to have a job as a security guard. Why the hell had Frankenstein made him work without taking such an obvious detail into account? 

"How many times must he _evaluate_ us! I thought we proved ourselves last time," Tao continued to grumble as he snagged a box of cereal from the fridge. "Hm, or is it because of Mr Rael?" 

Rael snorted. "Obviously. I am the only one who hasn't been _evaluated_ yet. Who the hell does this guy think he is, anyway?" 

M-21 and Takeo took their places at the breakfast bar, munching on rudimentary protein sticks. Tao, on the other hand, poured himself a bowl of chocolate-chip cornflakes and enough milk to soak the whole thing effectively. Rael wrinkled his nose in distaste. 

Breakfast was usually a pleasant affair, because _usually_ Seira prepared something for the household and it never disappointed. And she would actually smile at him when he told her that the food was great. But she had no reason to be up at four in the morning when school started at seven, so here he was, watching Tao stuff his face with the most disgusting-looking human dish he'd ever seen. 

"He'f fe sfecial sfefurity hef," Tao said through a mouthful of cornflakes. "Fe finks we're foo immafure fu fe guarfs." 

" _What?_ "

Takeo sighed. "He's the special security head. He thinks we're too immature to be guards." 

Rael narrowed his eyes at Tao. "I wonder why that is." 

The modified human laughed. "Fur fo fafave, miffer fael. Fant fornflakes?" He shook the box of cereal. 

Takeo dropped his face into his palm. "You're so savage, Mr Rael," he translated, sounding like he'd rather die. "Do you want cornflakes..." 

Rael bristled. " _Savage?_ I am a _noble. How dare you?_ " 

"It...it is human slang," mumbled Takeo, his whole face buried in the table now. "It's...a compliment." 

Rael snapped to face him. "The hell kind of compliment is that!" 

"I apologize for Tao," M-21 said stiffly, awkwardly patting Takeo on the shoulder. "You okay?" 

"No," came the muffled reply. "I want to die." 

"I can help with that," said Rael brazenly. 

Tao swallowed his mouthful of cereal. " _Bad-_ ass alert!" 

M-21 slammed his fist on the table. "You are going to get us _killed!"_

"I'm complimenting him! Seira was happy when I said she was a total badass!" 

"S-Seira?" Rael started. " _What_ did you say?" 

"It means, a... _strong_ person," said Takeo weakly. "No, this is hopeless. I can't salvage this. Kill me now." 

"Okay," said Rael. 

"Wait, he didn't mean it!" 

"I _know,_ you idiot." Rael glowered at Tao. "But if I _ever_ kill anyone at this table, it is going to be completely your fault!" 

"Rael Kertia." 

Rael froze, every muscle in his body going rigid at the familiar, _very_ _stern_ voice behind him. His brother had approached them so stealthily that even he hadn't sensed him. 

"Hyung," Rael greeted, turning his way with the most pleasant smile he could muster. "You're awake!" 

"How could I not be when the lot of you are being so loud?" Rajak crossed his arms, his expression deadly. "Rael. Did I hear you threatening our companions?" 

All the colour drained from his face in an instant. "N-No, it's not like that." 

Rajak looked the furthest thing from convinced, and it looked like he was about to get one of those ' _disappointed_ ', quietly furious lectures that were so cutting they'd keep him awake at night, but he didn't get the chance to do that. 

"Ahaha, don't worry about it, Sir Rajak," Tao piped up. "We were only joking around. Rael was making an attempt at 'human' humour."

Rajak frowned. "Humans threaten each other as a joke?" 

"Yep! Well, sometimes. We're a strange species, haha." 

Rael stared at Tao, disbelieving. Why had he _said_ that? Had he really－ come to his rescue? But _why?_

Rajak finally relaxed, sighing softly. "Then, I apologize for misunderstanding. But you four." He glared at them all this time. "Please refrain from _shouting_ at four in the morning, when the rest of the household is asleep." 

"Y-yes sir," stuttered Rael. 

"Yes, sir!" uttered the three modified humans in unison, all of them sitting up dead straight. 

Rajak sighed again before swiftly turning on his heel and heading back, the lobby descending into unnatural silence for several heartbeats after he'd disappeared from view. 

"So...we should go," said Tao quietly. 

"We should," Rael agreed in a small voice.

  
  


The sun was bright again, and hot over the rooftop where he stood in solitary guard. Twenty minutes before school would end for the day, the grounds below were blissfully empty of human presence and chatter. 

Rael sipped at the can of orange crush in his hand, savouring the way the drink sparked and sizzled with flavour on his tongue. He could decisively say that this variety was his favorite from the six options. 

It was peaceful. Blessedly quiet. There were no humans around, and he could savor his favourite drink without interruptions or noise from the three human guards. 

_Although there are a lot worse._

The modified humans, at least, were qualified enough to protect this place from ordinary threats. Union henchmen and the like, other modified humans below the level of Elders. It made sense that Frankenstein would hire them. But Rael did not understand his reasoning for employing the rest of the school's security force. 

_They're absolute buffoons. I cannot believe he is paying them money to be so incompetent._

Today's 'evaluation' had been the most irritating two and a half hours of Rael's existence. First, the guards had been asked to run thirty laps around the grounds. Something Rael didn't even need ten seconds to do. Yet, Tao had insisted that they all must hide their powers, and suggested he try to slow down to their pace at least. A Kertia, _slowing down?_ On purpose? He'd had half the mind to tell all of them to go fuck themselves, but Tao had gotten him out of a lecture from Rajak, so he owed the human _a little_ _bit._

Still, it was not worth the indignity of being called a _seventeen-year-old boy_ by a sweaty human in his forties who then demanded to see his license, a human item he obviously did not have, only to be saved by Tao's big mouth again when the modified human cleverly guilted Ahn Dae Chil about making unsavory accusations about the Chairman hiring an underage boy. 

_"Underage boy?" Coming from a human who is not even a century old and acts like a child?_

It appeared the humiliation would never end. Now, at least, he was alone, just as he preferred to be. He had twenty minutes of peace before the human children flooded the grounds, and he planned on spending that time as peacefully as possible. 

His mind drifted to thoughts of Seira. He should be used to her rejection by now. But the idea of _moving on, giving up,_ was unthinkable. Could anyone else captivate him as Seira had? She was beautiful, graceful, and kind and selfless. Brave, too, and a worthy successor to the Loyard clan. Rajak and the other clan leaders were impressed by her. Even Gejutel-nim, who hardly had anything nice to say about anyone, bragged about the girl he saw as his own grandchild. How was Rael supposed to _not_ be intrigued by her, at first? Nearly a century ago now, he had met Seira in person for the first time, and had never been able to expel thoughts of her from his mind ever since. 

It was...painfully clear that she did not think of him nearly as often. 

He unconsciously crushed the can in his fist and a jet of cold liquid sprayed in his face. 

" _Damn you!_ Impractical human garbage! 

The offending can dissappeared over the horizon. 

Rael wiped at his face, mood soured. 

_That,_ was the other bane of his existence. The humans manage to create such an exquisite beverage, then serve it in cheap cans that exploded with the slightest force? It was no wonder their race had taken so long to evolve past the primitive stage. 

His eyes detected movement at the gate. 

Rael frowned. There were still ten minutes before the bell was supposed to ring. What were those students doing, cutting across the school grounds this early? 

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the two students were the very ones he had seen with Seira the previous day. The ones who'd been attacked at the gate. They had their school bags on and walked at a leisurely pace, as if they were really leaving school at this time. It was probably yet another convention at YeRan High that he hadn't bothered to learn of. Still, for lack of anything better to do, Rael tracked their progress to the gate. 

_This really is a royal waste of time. Just you wait, Frankenstein. One day I will be so powerful that I don't have to bow down to you._

The thought of a future where he could effortlessly take on _that_ man brought a smile to his face. Would Rajak agree to train him to reach that level? He wouldn't refuse, would he? After all, they were _nobles_ , of the Kertia clan no less, and it would simply be a return to the natural order of things if they surpassed a human like that. 

Rael was swiftly pulled out of his dream scenario when his trained eyes noticed movement beyond the gates. 

_This seems familiar._

The girls made it out of the gate, still talking to one another, not realizing they had company until the last moment. 

_These are different humans, I am certain. But they are using the same formation as the degenerates from before._

Once again, the blue-haired girl tried to negotiate with them, her friend attempted to pull her away from the confrontation, but the man didn't allow it. His companions surrounded them. Eight people this time. 

_Eight against two? Not even the Union has forced such uneven odds on us._

Perhaps he could join in and even the odds. Perhaps it would even be _fun,_ if he drew the fight on for longer than needed, allowing the pathetic humans to believe they could succeed before inflicting unimaginable pain on every last one of them. 

Rael grinned, leaping off the roof. 

_You want me to hide my strength, Tao? I'll fucking hide my strength._

"Hey, ugly." 

All of the men turned to look at him as he approached them at a casual pace. 

"All of you responded? I guess it can't be helped, since you _all_ look disgusting." Rael stopped a few feet away as the ring parted to permit the leader of the group, seething, to meet him face-to-face. "But I was talking to you." 

"Rael!" the brown-haired girl shouted. "They're armed! You should get out of here!" 

"Shut your trap," one of the degenerates growled at her. "Boss, let's deal with him quickly before any more people show up." 

"Quickly?" Rael narrowed his eyes. "I'm not letting you go _quickly._ " 

"Hey, who does this shrimp think he is?" 

"The _nerve－_ " 

"What a stupid little boy," huffed the leader of the group, a large, muscular man with facial scars. "What are you gonna do? Cry to your mama?" 

Rael snarled, and it took every bit of his self-restraint not to abandon the initial plan and kill them all right here. 

_Tsk. The houseowner said not to kill any normal humans._

It was too tempting. He was _so_ tempted. 

"Aw, what's the matter, kid?" the leader of the group pulled a mocking face, his disciples snickering behind him. "Did you wake up to reality? I don't know which one of these pretty little things is your girlfriend, but you can choose right now to save yourself and run away, or－" 

"Houseowner, you'd better not hold my brother responsible for this." 

"H-Huh? What's gotten into him? The hell are you talking about?" 

Rael's red eyes met his, suddenly far too close and furious. 

" _Get lost._ "

The following blow knocked the human out of his field of vision, sending him crashing along the pavement until he disappeared, and Rael spun around and swept through the others, sending them scattering in different directions amid shrill screams and the sound of crunching bones.

When he dropped back down onto his feet, he wasn't winded, but the gravel on the road was cratered and the pavement was shattered, and the school gates were hanging from their hinges. 

"Damn," muttered Rael, brushing his hair back. "What a nuisance."

"R-Rael?" 

He froze. He had completely forgotten about the children. 

_They don't look hurt. Frankenstein would have actually killed me._

"What are you staring at?" he snapped. 

The girls shrieked.

"Sorry!" 

He scoffed, crushing a wad of broken stone under his shoe, assessing the damage. There was nothing for it. His only option was to call Tao and hope that the modified human hadn't been fibbing when he'd said he could fix anything. 

"And you two." He turned to the girls, scowling. "Why the hell do you keep running into lowlifes like that?" 

"Ah…" The blue-haired girl scratched the back of her head nervously. "That's because…I'm an idol, and I just announced an indefinite break, so…" 

Rael momentarily forgot his anger at them as the words sparked recognition. 

"An idol?" 

"Yeah! Um, you're a foreigner so you might not know...that is, I'm a singer…" 

"I know what that is." Rael sighed in annoyance, feeling a headache coming on. "My brother, he…" 

_He is being dragged around everywhere in the human world by the honourable leader of the Blerster clan, who recently introduced him to 'k-pop', which I now pretend to like because he seems to like it and I just_ don't understand _humans._

"Your fans are assholes. If you want to avoid incidents like this, tell the man who runs this school."

"They're not _all_ like this," the girl protested weakly. "Everyone has a few weird fans." 

"No, Rael is right," said the other girl, stepping up with a determined look on her face. "I know you don't want to worry Principal Lee again, but you really should tell him." 

"He will hunt your fans down and end them," agreed Rael. He expected nothing less of Frankenstein.

"Haha, don't say that so seriously..." the idol laughed sheepishly. "Anyway, Rael...this is the second time you're helping us, and I'm really sorry I dragged you both into this mess. Will you let me apologize properly?" 

Rael didn't even bother with an answer. He'd already told them twice that he didn't need their thanks. He started to head back into the school, already dialing for Tao on _RK Communications,_ when a flash of white hair appeared in his peripheral vision and made him stop in his tracks. 

"Woah! What happened here?!" 

"Suyi? Yuna?" 

"Was there an explosion or something?" 

Behind him, the two girls waved at their friends who were rushing over. Seira and Regis trailing them at a measured place, both seeing him standing there and understanding what had happened. 

_At least Sir Raizel is not with them. He wouldn't be happy about the damage...and that would make Frankenstein even more angry…_

"We ran into some of those crazy fans again." 

"What! But you left early to _avoid_ that!" 

"I knew I should've come with you! Where are they, Suyi? Where did those jerks go?" 

"Ah, actually, Rael dealt with them."

"Rael?! He must be crazy strong!" 

"Woah, is Rael like Shinwoo?" 

Rael snapped out of his morbid thoughts of Frankenstein and Dark Spear. "We are _nothing_ alike." 

"Eek!" 

"Hey, relax Ikhan, he's not going to hurt you…"

Seira stood behind the dithering children, meeting his gaze blankly. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. Regis looked annoyed, muttering to himself about the damage, but Seira…

She just looked at him with an expression he couldn't begin to understand. Disappointment? Disgust? 

_Can I ever do right by her?_

Abruptly he turned away, facing the two human girls. 

"Let's go." 

They blinked, confused. 

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he began to walk away, along the broken pavement. "What are you waiting for? I accept your offer." 

He heard the noises of the human children as he put yet more distance between himself and them. 

"Ah, I wanted to thank him for helping us...so we should go…" 

"Yeah, see you later!" 

"I still can't believe we have another Shinwoo around! Hey, think you can take him in a fight?" 

"Don't wanna. He's scary…" 

"How did the gate break…?"

"Hmph, he still has no control over his emotions. Attacking weak humans with such force. How childish." 

"Regis. We will be late for tea." 

"Ah－ my apologies. Let's get going." 

Rael clenched his fists, telling himself to ignore it all. Seira...really did not care that he was leaving without talking to her. Her priorities were always the same. 

The human girls caught up to him after sprinting the distance, protesting that he walked too fast, but they turned blessedly quiet after registering his sour mood. Good. Unlike the modified humans he worked with, these humans didn't seem to have a death wish. 

"There's a nice cafe nearby," the idol girl said. "Um. Are you okay with coffee?" 

Coffee? He had heard of that. It wasn't like he cared, anyway. 

"It's fine." 

"Great! I'll lead the way!" 

Rael sighed to himself as he trailed behind the humans. What had gotten into him? He had only helped them because it was his job to do so, and because the odds of the fight had been unreasonable. If there was one thing Rajak had drilled into him loud and clear after the incident in Lukedonia, it was the importance of being _fair_ in a fight. And while Rael probably wasn't the best at deciding what constituted for _fairness_ , it certainly hadn't been that. 

Then, there was the fact that these humans were apparently Seira's friends. Had she looked at him like _that_ because she wanted him to stay away from them? Back there, when he'd abruptly accepted their offer of thanks, that was what he was thinking. For a moment, he'd felt a burning need to _defy_ her, to deliberately do something against her wishes and hurt her.

That feeling was gone now. He just felt empty and appalled at himself. He _loved_ Seira, no matter what anyone had to say about it－who in their right mind thought of hurting the person they loved? 

_I was just－ annoyed. I acted impulsively. That's all._

He would never hurt her, not deliberately. Even when the Lord had sent him to the human world for the first time, he hadn't wanted to _hurt her._ But－ Seira _couldn't_ be hurt. There was very little that got to her, and almost nothing could break her composure, so over the years of trying to win her heart he'd stopped watching his words and started to act more like himself, gradually forgetting to be careful altogether. It had been a long time since he'd last worried his actions or words would upset her. Seira was just that… _indifferent_ , when it came to him. He could _fight_ her, and she wouldn't lose sleep over it. On the other hand, when they crossed paths and she simply ignored him－ it lingered in the back of his mind like a parasitic thought.

"We're here," said the blue-haired girl, pushing open a glass door he hadn't realized they'd arrived at. "Oh, looks like it's not crowded!" 

"That's a good thing," said her friend with a smile. "It would be such a pain if any more of those weirdos found you." 

"I _know_." The idol threw her head back and grumbled as they walked in. "Honestly, where do these people keep coming from? I didn't think we'd run into so many…" 

"And that guy just now was _armed!_ What a psycho!" The brunette shuddered. "It's a good thing you didn't give him the chance to pull out his weapon, Rael." 

"He had a weapon?" Rael asked distractedly, half his mind clawing at thoughts of Seira, the other half drawn along with his gaze to the pictures on the wooden walls. 

"I tried to warn you. I'm－ really sorry. It could've been dangerous." 

"With the way Rael kicked their asses, I'm not sure…" 

"Suyi! He had a _gun!_ " 

"I know, I know, but I don't think it would've made much of a difference…" 

Rael scoffed, tearing his eyes away from the framed black-and-white pictures as they claimed a table by the window. 

"I also had a weapon." 

The girls stared at him with wide eyes. 

_What am I doing? Telling these humans about my Soul Weapon?_

He must be really out of it today, as suggested by the fact that he was _here_ in the first place. 

"You－ have a weapon?! Are you even... _legally allowed to do that?_ " The brunette lowered her voice abruptly in the middle of her sentence, as if realizing they were discussing something to be kept a secret. 

She was probably referring to human laws, and human weapons. He didn't know anything about them. But really, would they even notice he wasn't human, when someone as powerful as the Noblesse had managed to keep his identity intact for so long?

"Ah...he's joking," the idol girl said hastily. "Right? Don't...say something like that with such a serious face…" 

"Y-Yeah! I almost believed you for a second! We could get into trouble if anyone heard us!" 

Rael narrowed his eyes at them. 

"Is it not already evident that such lowlifes are no match for me?" 

"We...we meant the _police,_ Rael." 

He did not know who the _Police_ was, but what could a human entity do against a pureblood noble? He doubted this _Police_ person was even affiliated with the Union, given what little ordinary humans knew about their own world. And, surely the Police was nothing compared to the power of the Noblesse. 

"I do not fear this entity." 

The girls exchanged a look, and for a moment, they were quiet again. 

"Wait a minute!" The blue-haired girl brought a palm down on the table. "I just realized we never got a chance to introduce ourselves." 

"We didn't?" her friend looked surprised. "Oh yeah...I don't think we ever did…" 

"This is too funny," the idol giggled. "Rael doesn't even know our names and we basically kidnapped him!" 

"Actually, I think he kidnapped _us_ in the last moment…" 

The first girl stuck a hand out across the table. "My name's Suyi." 

Rael stared at her outstretched hand. "What are you doing?" 

"Huh? Oh." She looked startled. "You don't do handshakes?" 

"I do not know what that is." 

"Ah…" She sat back, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot, you're a foreigner…" 

"I'm Yuna." Yuna gave him a small wave. 

Well. He supposed it helped not to have to refer to these humans as _blue-haired girl_ and _blue-haired girl's friend_ in his head, but it was not as if he had any other reason to know their names. 

"We should order now if we want to save time," Suyi said, opening up a large card left on the table. He noticed there were two such cards. "Feel free to pick anything you want! This place has some really good desserts but their other stuff is kinda boring? Anyway, don't worry about it. I'm paying." 

"Ah, you don't have to pay for me－" started Yuna, only to receive a dangerous look from Suyi, one that constituted both a wide smile and eyes that narrowed in warning. 

"...but this one time is totally fine," said Yuna, backing down quickly.

Suyi beamed. "Great!" She pushed one of the cards in Rael's direction. "Don't worry about the prices. Just get whatever you like, okay?"

Rael stared down at the card that had been slid in front of him. The name of the cafe was spelled in gold lettering on a black background. He looked up to see the humans browsing through their card, which was open, and debating on the taste of something or the other. He opened his own card. Even though he had a good enough grasp of the human language from reading minds, and could understand the letters as well, he couldn't recognize most of the words on the card. 

_What the hell am I doing here?_

He entertained the notion of leaving, and returning home, but he realized almost immediately afterward that he'd wrecked the school entrance and Frankenstein was likely _waiting for him at home._

The thought made a chill run down his spine. No, it was best to stay here and pass the time. At least until later in the evening, when Rajak returned from his stakeout of the city. Frankenstein surely wouldn't dare try to feed him to that evil Soul Weapon ripoff when his brother was around. 

"Can't decide?" 

Rael snorted, dropping the card. "I don't care." 

"You don't care what you get?" Suyi looked surprised. 

"Must I repeat myself?"

"Ahaha, sorry." She picked up the card he'd discarded and flipped through it. "Then, want me to pick for you? Are you _sure_ you don't have any allergies or anything?"

Rael did not even bother responding. What was it with humans and needing to clarify things over and over again? 

"...I'll take that as a no…" 

Yuna giggled, tugging the card towards herself to take a look at whatever Suyi had been considering. "You're so different from Seira, Rael."

Rael flinched. At the mention of Seira, his blood boiled, temper rising. 

"And just what do you mean by _that?_ " 

"I can see why Shinwoo is scared of him," Suyi whispered to Yuna, who didn't look the least bit phased aside from laughing nervously. 

"It's not a bad thing!" she insisted. "Really, it's good when people are different. I think they're more compatible that way." 

His thoughts screeched to a halt. "What?" 

"Yeah! You know, opposites attract." 

_The hell is she talking about? She's making no sense._

"Hey, knock it off, guys," Suyi chimed in. "The order is going to take ages to get here if we don't give it before this place gets crowded." 

Rael scowled, leaning back in his seat in front of the window. He couldn't believe he was actually putting up with this. 

The girls left the table for half a minute to speak with the man behind the counter, who Rael hadn't neglected to notice had been staring at them this entire time. 

_Blasted humans. They are so openly insolent._

It was fine. He only had to remain here until it was wise to return home. He could exercise his patience. It was no big deal. 

Suyi and Yuna returned, taking their places at the table. 

"So, um," Yuna started. "Are you also related to the Chairman, Rael?" 

_Related to that bastard? What an idea._

"No." 

"Oh, I see. So you must be another one of his friends' kids." She looked thoughtful. "The Chairman seems to be very sociable."

_Sociable my ass. He is fond of introducing people to his cursed Soul Weapon._

She wasn't entirely wrong on the other guess. His father had apparently been a friend of Frankenstein's, as hard as it was to picture that. 

Rael...did not entirely, _certainly,_ remember what his father looked like. He hadn't been old enough to have his memories intact when his father had entered eternal sleep with the Lord. Rael could remember long hair, sharp eyes, and the black mask of the Kertia. Nothing more. 

Rajak had long since been the only constant of his life. He remembered only being looked after by Rajak, who'd taught him how to fight, and to read and write. A handful of tutors had come and gone because Rajak could not do it alone, but he had no fond memories of any of them. 

"My father knew him," he said absently. 

He wasn't paying attention to how the girls looked sorry for a moment－ had they presumed his father alive? Why look apologetic for an honest mistake? And it wasn't as if it mattered either way. Nobles did not view death in the same morbid manner that humans did. 

"Do you like it in Korea so far?" Suyi ventured. 

Rael frowned. Were they actually expecting him to answer every question? How many more questions were they going to throw his way? Was this simply a human habit, or had he walked into a Union interrogation? 

"It is acceptable." _I do not know how you live here in peace when there are frequent destructive battles taking place in your city._

"Are you from Rai's country?" Yuna asked excitedly. 

_Rai? Who is Rai?_

"Um, the same country as Regis and Seira?" she clarified. 

He sighed. No, this wasn't an interrogation. The questions were far too stupid. 

"Obviously." 

"That's so cool! Ah, I really want to go there someday!"

" _Same_ ," Suyi clasped her hands together. "And all our friends are nobility, too! It would be _so cool._ " 

"Do you think they'll mind it if we visited them during summer break?" 

" _Yuna._ You would let the _boys_ loose in a noble estate? We'd get banned for life!" 

"Haha, it's scary that that's an actual possibility…" She looked at Rael. " _Have_ people been banned from visiting your country?" 

"Yes." Traitorous nobles were not allowed to set foot on the shores of Lukedonia. The clan leader of Mergas and the Central Order would deal with them swiftly.

"I said that as a joke…" Suyi's eyes widened. "Wow...so we actually can't visit…" 

"Wrong, we can't visit with the _boys._ " 

"Wait, don't tell me you're thinking－!" 

"The two of us and Seira have never had a girls' night out or anything," Yuna argued. 

"But a whole trip on our own?" 

"Why not?" Yuna chuckled. "We don't want to get _banned_ from Seira's estate." 

"Seira would not do that." 

They both turned abruptly to Rael, who crossed his arms in clear annoyance.

"Do not underestimate the kindness she shows you. Seira is not so petty as to expel a companion for bad behavior, even if their behavior warrants nothing less." 

"Ah…" Suyi smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Well, of course she wouldn't! But, the adults who are there…" 

"Seira is the head of the Loyards' estate." 

The girls did a double-take, startled. He found it odd that Seira had not told them of her station. 

"She _is?_ " 

"Wow! Seira is so cool!" 

"I know, right? Argh, she's so good at everything!" 

"Even her grades are amazing...she misses a lot of classes but still does better than everyone else!" 

"Pfft, then there's me. I still haven't caught up with the work I missed from the last time I went on tour."

" _What?_ Suyi, _no._ Don't say that so proudly…" 

Rael pinched his brows, feeling a headache coming on. Humans were too damned energetic for their own good. He couldn't blame them for showing such enthusiasm about Seira, though. He'd been there before. 

"Our orders are here! Let's go collect them." 

"Hey, I'm not gonna forget about that missed work…"

He dropped his face down flat on the table. _This is tiring. For how much longer do I have to be patient?_

He startled when something loud and heavy clattered on the table right in front of him. 

_What the hell?!_

Across from him the two girls slid into their seats with some colourful human dishes on their plates and an equally colorful drink each. There was nothing particularly unusual about their orders. 

_They_ didn't have to worry about a tall mountain of square-shaped building blocks dribbling with dark sauce fortified by thin cylindrical confections with pink and brown swirls and pink rocks. 

"What...what is this…" 

"That's a waffle tower." Suyi chuckled. "I know it looks like a lot, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. We can switch if it's not your thing." 

Rael stared at the ridiculous human dish in front of him, unable to comprehend the sight of it. A miniature building made of edibles? _Why?_

Hesitantly, he picked up the fork at his side and glared at the so-called waffle tower. He was not about to be bested by an overcomplicated human dish. 

He dug in, thinking it rational to start from the top. The layer that he broke into drooped to the layer below it, making the sauce between the two layers seep out. He broke off a piece without letting it soak any further, bringing it up to his mouth for a cautious taste. 

_It can't be-!_

For the second time in less than two weeks, Rael found himself amazed at human food. Somehow, the saucelike thing between the layers, which were warm and crunchy, was _chocolate._

He'd tried chocolate exactly once, when Tao had left a bar on the kitchen counter and written his name on a note attached. He had enjoyed it far more than he'd expected to, but hadn't ever sought it out again. Yet, this human dish that looked nothing like that bite-sized bar of chocolate came with a filling that tasted exactly like it. 

He continued to dig in, deciding that he liked the dish. It was sweet, the flavors mixing perfectly together, even as the tower gradually started to look messy and decrepit, forfeiting its initial form. It really was turning out to be a mess; Regis, if he saw, would have a panic attack. 

The thought brought a wicked smile to his face. 

"You like it, Rael? I'm glad!" 

"Regis would throw a fit if he saw this," he said smugly without thinking, only to be caught completely off-guard when the girls started laughing. 

"He would be, like, _that's so inelegant!_ " Yuna mimicked, her impression spot-on and surprising enough that Rael couldn't hold back a bark of laughter. 

He was instantly mortified with himself, but he didn't have time to consider his misstep because Suyi slammed a palm on the table, standing up and delivering an even _better_ impression. 

" _Why are you so undignified and noisy?_ " 

He couldn't help it. He _couldn't._ He muffled his laughter into the back of a hand while Yuna clutched at her sides and begged Suyi to sit down. The other girl did as asked with a roll of her eyes and a grin. 

"But, Rael, are you saving the wafers and marshmallows for last?" she ventured once she'd recovered.

"What?" 

She gestured at the thin cylinders and rocks. "If it's your first time having this, you should try mixing it up a little." 

Rael frowned at the items she'd pointed out. He'd assumed they were just a decoration; then, these were edible as well? 

He jabbed at one of the pink rocks with his fork, only to find it deceptively soft, the prongs sinking all the way in and tapping the surface of the plate. 

"Try it with the chocolate sauce," Suyi suggested. 

He considered the sauce in question. He did not know what the soft rock tasted like and couldn't tell if it would mix well with the sauce. It didn't _seem_ they'd go together. But the suggestion had come from a human, and this was a human dish with which she obviously had more experience. 

Rajak had advised him to observe how humans did things in while in their world, and these humans did not seem to bear any ill-intent toward him. 

_Even if they did, they would be easy to handle._

He dragged the soft rock in a puddle of chocolate sauce and put the whole thing in his mouth. 

It was...elastic, but brittle enough to be torn down the middle. The chocolate almost masked the new flavour, but when he got to it, he found it sweet and incredibly palatable.

Suyi looked pleased with herself. "See, what did I tell you." 

Rael nodded, willing to concede her point. Whatever else this human may be, she was well-versed in the ways of their food, that was undeniable. 

He jabbed his fork into one of the thin logs with swirls, but it cracked on impact, falling apart unlike the rock. 

"That's...probably best eaten with your fingers?" Yuna said hesitantly. "Unless you're okay with it being in pieces, I guess." 

Rael looked at Suyi. 

"Yuna is right," said the other girl. "It's even more messy eating a wafer with a fork. Probably don't wanna get sauce on that either, it's no good soggy." 

"Are you serious?" Rael glared at the unnecessarily complicated human invention sitting before him. Like all good human inventions, it seemed, this one also came with a fatal flaw. 

"Haha, it's impractical, I know."

He scoffed, setting his fork down and picking up one of the wafers that hadn't yet gotten completely drenched in sauce. 

Yet another item with a chocolate filling. The half not soaked by the chocolate sauce was pleasantly crisp. He didn't eat the other half, setting it back down on his plate. 

"You're...actually not going to eat half?" 

"Did you not tell me it was not good?" 

Suyi winced. "I guess I did." 

"This dish is full of surprises," Rael muttered. His eyes caught the drink left at his side. "What is that?" 

"Oh? Um, a smoothie." Suyi shook her head. "I wanted to get you a chocolate milkshake but Yuna said that was too much of chocolate." 

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you," declared Yuna with an air of responsibility. "If you get a sugar high that bad, the comedown is going to _suck._ "

"That's a myth!" Suyi looked unimpressed. "Only little kids get affected like that."

"Suyi, I've seen _you_ affected like that." 

"Lies."

"And Shinwoo. Even Ikhan." 

" _Deception._ " 

Yuna shrugged. "I mean, if you wanna give yourself a rush, go ahead, but you don't want Rael to suffer too."

"What? Why would I suffer?" demanded Rael. 

"If you have too many sweets, you'll feel adrenalised for a while and then you'll feel horrible," said Yuna. "Don't worry; that's a sugar-free organic smoothie." 

Rael snorted. "I do not believe you. That sounds like a lie told to children to prevent them from asking for more sweets." 

Suyi gestured pointedly with her hands at him. " _See?_ Thank you!" 

Yuna sighed, sipping at her own smoothie. "Fine. You can both suffer." 

Rael eyed his drink, a creamy yellow-coloured mixture in a tall glass. 

"That does not look appealing." 

Suyi burst out laughing. " _Oh my God._ " 

Yuna turned her nose up in the air and elbowed her friend in the ribs. 

"Why don't you try it, at least?" she asked Rael pleasantly. 

Rael narrowed his eyes at her. So far, Suyi had proven to have good taste in human foods. According to Suyi, the drink wasn't good. Even his instincts told him to steer away from it. 

"You can take it home if you don't want to have it," Suyi offered up. "I'm sure there's someone at your place who'll like it." 

"How would I know if they'd like it?" 

"Hmm." She considered it, stroking her chin. "Well, health and fitness freaks usually love that stuff. So, someone who works out a lot?" 

"I don't work out a lot," Yuna muttered around her straw. 

Rael thought of someone who fit the description. It was far too broad. Everyone at the house was physically fit. 

"Everyone works out." 

"Suyi, stop misleading him－" 

"Somebody who goes on jogs, then?" 

" _Ohmyfuckinggod－_ " 

"That is also too broad a classification." 

"Oh, no. There's no one who, like, carefully watches their diet?" 

"Why would you _watch_ a diet? How is that even done?" 

"I literally cannot listen to this anymore, are you both trolling me－" 

"I guess you'll just have to leave it here then." 

"I arrived at the same conclusion." 

A perfectly logical conclusion; Rael could not begin to fathom why Yuna looked like she wanted to cry. 

"You can have it." 

"Huh?" 

He pushed the drink in her direction. "You are obviously the only person I'm aware of who enjoys this." 

"But...you didn't even try it…" She sighed. "Thanks. I'll take it home, then." 

Good, that was that issue resolved. The girls returned to what was left of their desserts, and he continued to dismantle and eat the several complex components of the waffle tower in the way that he'd been shown.

He realized that more time had passed than he'd intended to stay. He would've been safe to return home a while ago now; but the sky was dark, it was no longer evening. 

He found he didn't mind _too much._ He had learnt of something new today, similar to the fizzy drinks. And Seira's friends were not bad company.

Of course they weren't. _She_ had chosen them. 

It was only natural for him to find them more tolerable than most humans, even if it had taken some time to get there. 

And _he,_ the Noblesse, also chose to spend time with them, so surely there was nothing wrong with the fact that he did not mind their company－ 

_It had nothing to do with his lack of companions in general. He did not need companions. It had nothing, whatsoever, to do with the fact that he hadn't laughed like this for centuries, outside of taunting an opponent in battle._

_Nothing. Nothing._

"Suyi?" 

Rael looked up at the worried note in Yuna's voice. What was there to worry about? She looked worried. Suyi, even more so, but the other girl brushed off her concern with a nervous laugh. 

"It's okay, it kinda happens a lot…" 

"That's _not_ okay! They have no right!" 

"Calm down. It's really not a problem, okay?" 

They were whispering among themselves. He didn't understand what was going on, but Yuna looked angry－ not the exasperated kind of anger at their willingness to waste a perfectly good drink, but real _anger,_ as if someone had dealt her a grievous insult. Suyi was trying to dissuade her from acting on it. 

"I'll _make_ them delete it," Yuna snapped, abruptly getting to her feet. 

"It's not worth it－"

The brunette stormed off, in the direction of another table, and Rael noticed that the cafe was crowded now. Suyi hurried after her friend, still trying to talk her out of whatever she'd set out to do. 

Rael picked up a wafer and glanced over. They'd stopped at another table, where two adult human men sat. Yuna said something to them with barely concealed impatience. One of the men argued with her. Suyi stood behind her, unnaturally still, not speaking a word.

He bit into a soggy part of the wafer. His focus didn't divert. Yuna demanded something of the man and he refused with a shake of his head. The other man laughed mockingly. Suyi tried to gently pull Yuna away from the scene but she was unrelenting. 

Who were those men? Why was she pissed at them? More importantly, why was Suyi reluctant to let her fight them? 

He had already seen them fail to take on a larger group of opponents, but those were unfair odds－ this time, there were only opponents, and two of them. 

_Perhaps they cannot fight at all? Or is she reluctant to face a bigger opponent?_

He reached for a wafer, and found only a single one drenched in chocolate sauce. There were no marshmallows left either. 

He dragged his chair back, stood up, and headed for the place of the confrontation.

"Rael! Ah, don't...don't worry about this, you should go back…" 

"What did this man do?" 

Yuna turned around to face him. The men gave him looks of contempt. 

"This jerk snapped a picture of Suyi without her permission," she answered readily. "And he's refusing to delete it." 

Rael raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound like an insidious offense. Was there some aspect of human culture he was misreading? 

"You agree it's not a big deal, right?" Suyi laughed nervously. "Come on, let's drop this already…" 

"Explain." 

"I...sorry?" 

He glared in Yuna's direction. "Is this something wrong? Do not lie to me." 

She crossed her arms. "Yes. It's wrong to take pictures of celebrities in their private lives. That's why I'm asking him to delete the picture but he's refusing." 

The man chortled. "Are you kidding me? You think _he'll_ be able to do anything about it? Stop being so bitchy about this. Im Suyi doesn't seem to mind." 

"As if you'd listen if I asked," muttered Suyi under her breath. 

"There are way too many people involved now," said the man's companion. "Let's get out of here before someone alerts the management." 

Rael snorted. 

The man looked affronted. "Who the hell do you think you are, kid?" 

"Somebody with more dignity than yourself," answered Rael brazenly. "Fleeing a battle when you clearly have the upper hand? Really?" 

The man who'd taken the photo interjected. "What is he talking about? Hey, kid, do you have a screw loose?"

Rael stepped in front of Yuna, staring the bigger man down. In one of his hands he held the phone he'd apparently taken the picture with. 

Rael gritted his teeth. "Be thankful I am under strict orders to minimize casualties." 

"The hell－" 

Lightning-quick, he snatched the device out of the man's hand and crushed it in his fist. Shards of glass and broken tech splintered in every direction. The men stared in paralyzed shock as he shook off the device's remains onto their table. 

He turned on his heel. "Does that solve the problem?" he asked Yuna. 

She grinned. "Yep." 

Suyi sighed, falling into step with them as they headed back to their table. "I'm so sorry I got you dragged into another thing…" 

"Be sorry I did not put him in his place." 

The girls grabbed their schoolbags and Yuna picked up the drink. 

"I'll go get this packed." 

"Sure. And, Rael...it looks like I owe you again." 

What _was_ it with humans are their ridiculously servile attitudes? He had barely done anything this time. 

"Can I get you a waffle tower to take home, as thanks? Or something else that's full of sugar?" She snapped her fingers. "A _chocolate_ milkshake, this time! Not some bland _af_ smoothie." 

Before he could reject all three ideas, Suyi tugged on his sleeve and dragged him toward the counter. 

"What are you doing－!" 

"One Sugar Crash Waffle Tower to go, please," she told the man at the counter. "And a chocolate milkshake, with cinnamon topping. Raspberry cheesecake too, if you have it."

"What? Why are you ordering all those things?" he demanded, incredulous. 

"One, as thanks." Yuna leaned in next to them at the counter, smiling brilliantly. " _Two,_ because you're the only other person she's ever met who can eat all of those things and not fall sick." 

It was late by the time Rael arrived home. After the scolding he'd received from Rajak in the morning, he was careful not to make a sound as he opened the front door and made his way to the lobby. 

Rael stopped in his tracks. He could hear sounds coming from the lobby that... _gunfire? Shouting?_ Unfamiliar voices, strangely muffled and contained within the walls. 

_The Union is here._

Why no one was aware of the intrusion yet was a question for another time as Rael continued to walk, treading lightly, staying close to the walls and blending into the shadows. There was a light coming from the living room. He could hear clicking sounds. Muffled voices. Bullets firing. 

Rael turned the corner, prepared to strike the enemy in the dark as a Kertia assassin. 

"Did you just－you just _sneak-attacked_ me!" came the hysterical voice of Sir Karias Blerster, making him freeze in place yet again. 

"You were not paying attention," said Rajak's voice somberly. "It is your own fault." 

"I'm going to kick your ass to hell and back when my life meter fills again, just _wait._ " 

"I'm afraid I cannot wait for that to happen." 

The noises were coming from the TV. It depicted two human soldiers sneaking around a muddy tropical warzone. There were several hidden enemies. And shots being fired. 

"Hyung…?" 

Rajak looked back at the sound of his voice, from where he and the Blerster clan leader sat on the long sofa remotely controlling two humans on the screen. 

Something exploded on the screen. 

"Got ya!"

Rajak snapped to look at Sir Karias, his expression quietly furious. 

"That was foul play." 

Sir Karias stuck his tongue out. "You were not _paying attention._ " 

Rael stared at the two of them and then at the screen. 

"Hyung, who are those humans?" 

Rajak turned the screen off, and the dimmest lights in the living room immediately came to life. 

"It is just a video game, Rael. It is a pastime of humans that involves controlling imaginary people on a screen." 

So they were not real, yet they could be given orders? 

Sir Karias all but jumped around to face him also. "Fascinating, isn't it? Humans have come so far!" 

"They have advanced in technology," Rael agreed, although he refrained from mentioning that they didn't show vast improvement from their behavior in the past. 

"Anyway, why were you out so late?" Sir Karias tilted his head curiously. "Another hour and we were about to go looking for you." 

Rael glanced down at the box in his right hand, and the drink in his left. "I…" 

What could he say? It wasn't an easy situation to explain, especially not if he ommitted the fact that he had destroyed the school's front gate. And he wasn't one to tolerate humans, so－ did it make sense that he had hung around two humans for so long? 

"I wish to speak with you," said Rajak, standing. 

Rael wordlessly followed him, wondering if he already knew. What would the consequences be? Had Frankenstein expressed a wish for him to stop working at the school? Or, did he wish to impart a harsher punishment－ 

"Is everything alright?" 

Rael looked up at Rajak in surprise, thrown off by the question. His brother leaned against the corridor wall, almost blending into the shadows. 

He didn't look like he was about to sternly tell him off. Instead, Rajak looked _worried._

"Y-Yeah. Everything's fine." 

Rajak's gaze was piercing, as if daring him to lie. He shook his head. 

"I was not in any danger." 

"That is good." Rajak tugged down his mask, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "But something is definitely going on. Why are you home late? You missed dinner." 

Rael winced. _Dinner,_ the sacred household affair that everybody took far too seriously, his brother included. Missing dinner was definitely not a point to help his case. 

For lack of a better response, Rael held out the box and the drink. 

"What is that?" 

"Human food." 

"Where did you get something like this from?" 

"Some humans bought it for me." 

Now Rajak _did_ look surprised. "Is that so…" 

"Two of the humans that the Noblesse favours," Rael explained. "They encountered some trouble. I helped them. So they bought me this." 

"I am glad to see you helping humans," said Rajak, nodding his approval. There was a hint of pride in his voice that Rael had long since learnt to identify, lest he miss it entirely. "But did it really take so long to handle the problem?" 

"These humans encountered multiple problems. They seem to have a natural knack for finding trouble wherever they go, so I accompanied them to their respective houses."

Suyi's parasitic fans seemed to crawl on every surface of the damned neighborhood. If she had no plans to ask Frankenstein to eliminate them, he had half a mind to do it himself. 

"You were right to follow that course of action," said Rajak, his tone noticeably warmer now. He placed a hand on Rael's shoulder, heavy and reaffirming. "I am proud of you." 

Rael swallowed thickly, feeling his heart constrict painfully in his chest at those words he rarely received so directly. 

"Hyung, will you share this with me?" 

For a long moment, he got no response. Rael averted his gaze, feeling foolish for overstepping his bounds. Obviously Rajak had no time to spare on something like this. He hadn't even heard from him yet if he'd found the fizzy drinks to his liking the first time he'd bought them for him, so Rael hadn't brought them home again, assuming it was because he found them distasteful. 

"Alright."

Rael snapped up to look at him. 

Rajak smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. The gesture took him so much by surprise that he flinched away without meaning to. Rajak withdrew his hand at once. 

"But not right now. I do not want to risk waking the household." 

Rael nodded slowly, still dumbfounded. Rajak started to walk away. 

"Hyung?" 

He looked over a shoulder. 

"What...what was that just now?" 

"My apologies." Rajak looked uncomfortable. "It was a human gesture of affection Karias told me about." 

"I...I see." 

Rajak turned away and continued walking, in the direction of his room at the end of the corridor. 

Rael hated to watch him walk away. Whatever the circumstances, however they parted, he'd always hated to watch his brother walk away from him, because it always felt like he left for not wanting to stay around. A discreet hint that Rael already wasted too much of his time. 

_Affection?_

He didn't dare believe it. 

Until a goodbye that didn't feel like Rajak wanted to walk away from him _,_ he probably never would. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The kids come over to the Chairman's house to play board games, and Rael gets roped into joining. The girls have some nonsensical advice for him.


End file.
